Thanksgiving Suggestions for a newbie cook...

Hello Friends! So..Im 24yo and This is our first Thanksgiving at our new house and im not the best cook.. and i really dont wanna screw this up.. Hell i couldnt make mashed potatos to save my life! (every time i do theyre never done for some reason!)

So for all the folks whos been there done that for many years im looking for fairly simple dishes to cook for 9 people..

Frankly I really dont even know how to cook a turkey! LoL! Any suggestions on that one too would be most helpful.. Im not really lookin for b.s. responses like "ooohh why celebrate us murdering and stealing from the Natives.." to us this is just a family dinner.. Thanks everyone! Have a good Day/Evening/Night!

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." George Washington

Buy three large cans of yams. Drain and mash.Add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, a dash of vanilla. Warm in the microwave. Then, microwave a dish of marshmallows until creamy, fold into the yam mixture and cover with alum foil. Bake for 40 minutes on about 350. They are yummy and super easy. Can't really mess them up. Enjoy, good luck and don't be intimidated. You will do fine.

Buy three large cans of yams. Drain and mash.Add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, a dash of vanilla. Warm in the microwave. Then, microwave a dish of marshmallows until creamy, fold into the yam mixture and cover with alum foil. Bake for 40 minutes on about 350. They are yummy and super easy. Can't really mess them up. Enjoy, good luck and don't be intimidated. You will do fine.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 27833995

Thank you very much.. i was wondering how everyone made those theyre sooo yummy! If i screw that up i dont need to be near a kitchen! LoL! Thanks for the encouragement too!

Dunk a turkey into a vat of boiling oil for a few minutes. Slam it's greasy carcass on the table and gnaw chunks of flesh off while grunting like a Neanderthal.

Take some potatos and chuck them in the microwave until they're radioactive. Proceed to smash them with your feet (yell enthusiastically while you do this part). Melt some butter with a blow torch, then dunk that shit in butter and ram it down your gullet.

Take some wonder bread and dump all kinds of gravy and grease on it then mush it together with your hands. You've got stuffing.

Hello Friends! So..Im 24yo and This is our first Thanksgiving at our new house and im not the best cook.. and i really dont wanna screw this up.. Hell i couldnt make mashed potatos to save my life! (every time i do theyre never done for some reason!)

So for all the folks whos been there done that for many years im looking for fairly simple dishes to cook for 9 people..

Frankly I really dont even know how to cook a turkey! LoL! Any suggestions on that one too would be most helpful.. Im not really lookin for b.s. responses like "ooohh why celebrate us murdering and stealing from the Natives.." to us this is just a family dinner.. Thanks everyone! Have a good Day/Evening/Night!

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oh dear.....i remember my first dinner.....turkey served 4 hours after diinner....veg burnt......lol......google your recipes and write down the times you need to have everything ready by eg. by 3pm you have to serve starter so that has to be almost cooked. Timing is crucial. plan what you can the night before....peel veg and leave in bowls of water in fridge, stuff turkey with veg and baste outside in honey etc. and refridgerate. soups and starters can be prepared. buy nice gravy and condiments and a bottle of bbq sauce in case it goes wrong. Cook turkey in oven at a min temp of 180°_200° max. Buy a lucious dessert so they will at least be full. hope this helps. best of luck.

OP....I admire your wanting to cook a meal for 9...but for a non cook, that is quite a big undertaking. I would say buy the turkey already cooked, and practice cooking a turkey dinner during the year for next year. For real easy side dishes, cranberry sauce out of the can. Stoffers stove top stuffing. Can green beans with a can of cream of mushroom soup and slivered almonds on top. Or, practice with the side dishes in advance and freeze them till turkey day. Sara Lee pumpkin pies are real easy to throw in the oven. Good luck, have a good one!

Cook your turkey upside down in the roasting pan... and then about 30 mins before it is done flip it over to brown. The juices will run down into the breast meat and it will be the juiciest turkey they ever ate. don't forget to take the giblet packet out of its butt before cooking.

just google easy sweet potato casserole recipe.hard to screw that up.

green bean casserole... again google it and it is hard to screw up.

do you have a dressing recipe? you must have a great dressing and gravy or at my house its just not thanksgiving...here is my family dressing recipe...it's been on our families table at thanks giving for about 80 years... it was my grandmothers... well she probably didn't use cornbread meal MIX... but that's my mother's influence... and how it got passed down to me.

You can buy really good pecan or pumpkin pies... lordy don't try to bake and cook too... no need to make yourself crazy...This is really easy...if you don't burn your cornbread.

Worlds Best Dressingbag of aunt jemima yellow corn meal MIXmake cornbread, times 3 of recipe on bagsubstitute buttermilk instead of milk... preferredcook and cool cornbread. crumble cornbread. (can be done days ahead and put in ziplocks and put in freezer. takes very little time to thaw when needed)NEXT- 1. celery chopped- one bunch. ( to taste...less if you like)2. onion chopped 2-3 onions/med. (to taste... less if you like)3. saute celery & onion & one stick butter & splash of watertil clear.4. dump into cornbread crumbles. Stir5. Add about 3 cans chicken broth (have 4 on hand... just in case you need more)6. melt another stick butter and pour it in, stir7. add family size cream of chicken - 2-3 to start (buy 4 you will need it for gravy)8. salt to taste9. pepper to taste.10. add sage... a lot of it... almost an entire bottleTaste test the mix and make sure you like it BEFORE you add the eggs... don't risk eating the raw eggs in the mix11. LAST thing you add is 4 large eggs, stir well.Your dressing is the right consistency if it "dollops" off the spoon.pam spray your baking pan... a big one... deep 9x13. or two smaller. (for gravy... don't forget to scoop out a cup/cup and 1/2... of uncooked dressing mix. You add this to family size can of cream of chicken soup in sauce pan... add milk in little pours so you don't get it too thin... then just cook over med heat before serving. BACK to Dressing...12. bake at 400/50 depending on oven.TIME 45-hour... until the middle is set.

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." George Washington

First, a disclaimer, of sorts. I do not currently, nor have I ever worked for the corporation that manufactures and distributes Butterball Turkey or any of its subsidiaries.

As a first timer, if you're not buying fresh, spend the extra few pennies per pound for the Butterball. The built in thermometer takes the guess work out of it. When it pops up, it's done. The directions on the packaging are pretty straight forward, too.

If it's frozen, keep in mind you'll need about 48 hrs. to thaw in the refrigerator. No, you can't defrost it in the microwave.

Potatoes. If you can pierce it easily with a fork, it's done. To ensure no lumps, use an electric hand mixer instead of a masher. If you wanna go old school, use a ricer.

Good luck!

"There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls." ~George Carlin

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." George Washington

im sad to say ive never actually heard of the woman.. her recipes seem fairly easy..

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 25147328

She is a Tv personality from The South. You won't be sorry trying her recipes.

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." George Washington

Buy three large cans of yams. Drain and mash.Add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, a dash of vanilla. Warm in the microwave. Then, microwave a dish of marshmallows until creamy, fold into the yam mixture and cover with alum foil. Bake for 40 minutes on about 350. They are yummy and super easy. Can't really mess them up. Enjoy, good luck and don't be intimidated. You will do fine.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 27833995

Thank you very much.. i was wondering how everyone made those theyre sooo yummy! If i screw that up i dont need to be near a kitchen! LoL! Thanks for the encouragement too!

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 25147328

Your very welcome. Everyone has to cook Turkey Dinner for the first time..once. We all got past it just fine!

An easy trick to making a nice meal is to set a lovely table! Even simple foods look appetizing when the table is welcoming. Use candles, squash, cinnamon sticks tied with ribbon, make a centerpiece. Use pretty glasses that sparkle. These things really do make a difference!

Your guests will appreciate the little touches and the effort even if the food isn't perfection.

one dilemma im faced with is my Father has Crohns Disease so he has to watch what he eats..

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 25147328

Well that's not good. I don't know how you would cook a holiday meal for somebody that is suffering from that.

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." George Washington

Cut the potatoes into chunks (skin them first) and put them in a pot of COOL WATER. Put just enough water to cover the potatoes, otherwise they can be disgusting and waterlogged.

You want to salt the water so much that it tastes like sea water. Sounds over the top, but remember a lot of the salt will still be in the water, and you are essentially seasoning your potatoes now.

Once the potatoes start to boil, turn the heat down slightly, and cook until the chunks are fork-able. Do not overcook them or they will be DISGUSTING. Drain into a collander and put immediately back into the pot (off of the heat!).

Some people just dump all of their butter/milk/etc into the mash at once and it turns into a pile of baby food, don't do that. Melt butter in a sauce pan, take it off of the heat, and then add either milk or cream. Whisk together. You can also add garlic powder and heat it through quickly in the butter before turning off the heat. Add just enough of this liquid to bring the mash together. If you do it this way there is more control over how much gets put in.

Other things that are good in mashed potatoes:Horseradish sauce (not too much, but it offers a nice zing), crumbled up bacon, chives, sour cream.

First thanksgiving dinner I cooked I was 25 and it was for me, husband & our 2 little kids, 12 at risk youth, and 3 other adults. I think everyone would have licked their plates if they could have gotten away with it. lol

Don't be scared off by cooking... organization is really the key.

take the time to make a very detailed shopping list. when you get the groceries home, group by recipe as best you can... have all of your recipes handy when you start to cook and take the time before hand to figure out in what order everything will need to be prepared and then cooked... remember your turkey will take up most of the oven... for a long period of time... but like the dressing can be mixed up and ready to bake the day before... same with any dish that goes into the oven...

First thanksgiving dinner I cooked I was 25 and it was for me, husband & our 2 little kids, 12 at risk youth, and 3 other adults. I think everyone would have licked their plates if they could have gotten away with it. lol

one dilemma im faced with is my Father has Crohns Disease so he has to watch what he eats..

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 25147328

Well that's not good. I don't know how you would cook a holiday meal for somebody that is suffering from that.

Quoting: CogitoErgoArmatumSum

Hes had it my entire life so ive learned what he can and cant have.. in fact he was just released from the hospital earlier this afternoon for a minor obstruction.. he misbehaves on his food choices quite a bit but he knows just how much of what he can have.. but this past time wasnt because he ate what he shouldnt..

Let me tell how to fix the most awesome mouth watering juicy turkey!!!

Make sure you let your turkey thaw...

If its frozen like a brick on monday morning stick it in the bottom of your fridge!!! you cannot cook a frozen bird!

On wednesday morning take that turkey and in a large pot, or whatever you got...

and cover it in water... add about 1/4th a cup of salt for a 10-15 pound bird. For a 20 pound bird add an additional tablespoon of salt... add two chicken bouillon cubes to the water

go ahead and boil water and make the bullion cube broth and pour in the broth... not the hard cubes

let it soak until Thursday morning

Now make sure you went and bought a turkey oven bag

Those bags are the key to a awesome turkey!!!

remove turkey from the soak, make sure you remove the innards!!!!!! there are usually two bags!!! get em out, double, triple check! lol

put the oven bag in a pan or whatever you plan on baking the turkey in

place the turkey in the oven bag and generously coat that bird in butter!!

then I always use Mrs Dash original blend and Italian seasoning and coat the turkey

I always add either more bullion cube broth or turkey broth stock to the bag... about a cup maybe 2 cups

cook that on 325 until its done... buy the turkey with the pop up thingy it pops up when its done...

my oven is awesome it cooks Turkeys in about 2 hours!

but its a special oven... most peoples ovens can take anywhere from 4-6 hours on cooking the bird... make sure you allow plenty of cooking time!

if you are eating at noon... prepare to wake up EARLY! 4am ish so you can get that bird on in time!

but soak that sucker in salt water and use the oven bag!!!

It will be friggin awesome!!!

I make my own stuffing using the turkey juices after the turkey is finished baking...

I buy 2 bags of pepperidge farm stuffing bread and mix that with the juices... if its too runny, tear up toasted sandwich bread, white bread (light bread is what people round here call it) until its not too runny, but not too dry... add sage etc...

also... I add a box of stove top stuffing to it... generic brands work too...

I add finely minced onion and celery to it... about half a cup each...

and then I bake it, pretty much like baking bread...

as far as how long? i never time stuff... i do it all by "feel" so i cannot be help on that.

Corn... use whole kernel 3 cans... a cup of milk and a half cup of sugar and 3 table spoons of butter... let that cook down until its not liquidity but more like a glaze... awesome stuff!!! taste it... its supposed to be sweet... make sure it is... if not add a lil more sugar until its at the right sweetness...

as far as rolls... i'm lazy... crescent rolls or those brown and serve rolls...

pumpkin pie... hard to beat buying a frozen sara lee or mrs smith or whatever brand you got... make sure you thaw em... 9 people = 2 pies at least...

I hope my insomniac brain was able to type this in a coherent manner lol

"My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. ... That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave." - General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson